


Who Shall Be King Hereafter

by kristimoon



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Adaptation, Dark!Annabeth, Dark!Percy, Gen, Murder, References to Macbeth, Shakespeare Quotations, Stabbing, but if you have not here goes:, gods turned mortal, set in shakespeare's time, so if you've read macbeth i won't have to go into too much detail, the demigod aspect of the universe is unchanged, this entire fic is a retelling of macbeth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-20 00:31:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11909466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kristimoon/pseuds/kristimoon
Summary: Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day.  I'm hoping you can get what tragedy this fic is adapting without me having to... name the play.  Percy is Macbeth, persuaded by three children of Hecate to take fate into his own hands and make himself king, but it comes at the cost of the trust of nearly all his friends.





	1. Act 1

_ Fair is foul, and foul is fair. _

_ Hover through the fog and filthy air. _

 

"Exemplar's forces only grow stronger with Perseus to inspire them," Kronos said from atop his black throne, "I fear that son of Poseidon may be our undoing."

"I fear the same, master," Hecate replied.

"Do you have any plans of stopping him?" Kronos asked.

"He will do anything for those he loves, especially his wife, Annabeth.  We can uncover his dark side and bring destruction to Exemplar.  I have been devising a plan to unleash it and undo the Exemplarite army from the inside," Hecate said, rising from her kneeling position.

"Perfect," Kronos said, his lips curling into a wicked smile, "how will you carry this plan out?"

"My daughters will be meeting him and his accomplice, Grover, in a flowered field shortly.  They will tempt him with promises of the future.  Those promises will all come true, but only through a path of bloodshed.  The people of Exemplar will have him beheaded soon enough."

 

* * *

 

_ What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won. _

 

That morning, a long battle had taken place between Kronos’s army and Exemplar.  Most citizens of Exemplar were demigods from various areas who had banded together to fight against Kronos after the gods had been turned mortal.  They'd been losing by themselves for a while, but they managed to survive many grueling battles.

Eventually, the gods decided to help them defeat Kronos, and built a castle in place of their small fort.  Zeus also elected himself King of Exemplar, which made some of the demigods angry, but then elected his only demigod children, Jason and Thalia, to be heirs if something ever happened to him.  He also made the well trusted Perseus one of his most esteemed generals, even though some of the demigods still obeyed the system laid out before Zeus became King, which elected two praetors to lead their whole army.

But one of the praetors; Octavian, legacy of Apollo; had teamed up with another general from Zeus’s court; Lord Luke, son of Hermes; in order to turn to Kronos’s side.  Octavian wasn't ever in the Exemplarite army, but Luke often led Kronos’s army into battle.  The demigods of Exemplar had been trying to kill him for weeks, or at the least capture him so he could be put on trial for treason.  The demigods had seen him lead the battle that had taken place that morning; but after a brutal bloodbath; the royal family along with Praetor Reyna, daughter of Enyo, and her cavalry decided it was best to retreat.  They were heading back to the castle, Reyna walking alongside her horse, when they saw someone laying in the grass, covered with blood.

"Look, there's someone wounded over here!"  Prince Jason stopped walking and turned toward his sister.

"I wonder who it could be," his father said from behind him.

"It looks like Lady Bianca, daughter of Hades," Jason knelt down beside the wounded lady, "She has fought bravely in our recent battle, as is expected for someone of her lineage."

"Yes, when her father was willing to fight by my side, he struck terror in the hearts of our enemies."  Zeus looked up at the sky, and then down at the ground near where Bianca lay.

Jason suspected his father missed his true home in Mount Olympus.  Ever since Kronos had turned him and the other gods mortal, he'd been a little... uneasy.

"Tell your king of the recent victory," Jason whispered to Bianca, attempting to cheer up his father, if even a little.

She groaned and shifted from her position on the ground, then said in a shaky voice, "It was a great victory for Exemplar, indeed.  I saw the traitor Luke, son of Hermes, standing by the side of a Titan.  And then I saw Perseus kill him with a single blow and stick his head on a pike."

"You are truly a brave soldier, just like your father before you and your brother now," Zeus said, leaning down to shake Bianca's hand.

"But you don't understand, my king," Bianca continued, grasping Zeus's hand with both of hers, "our success against Luke has only multiplied our problems.  Kronos's army saw the opportunity to strike back with renewed vengeance, after killing their best ally."

"But I'm sure Perseus and Grover were not frightened by this at all," Reyna said from beside her horse on Bianca's other side.

"No, they weren't," Bianca agreed, "I was surprised that they could strike back with so much more force than before.  This battle will surely be remembered for ages to come."  Bianca groaned and clutched at the wound in her side.

"I'll take you to the medics," Thalia said.  She scooped Bianca into her arms and rode off to the fort on Reyna's horse.

"Her words shall bring her honor," Zeus said after a short silence.  Jason looked at Thalia's form, getting smaller and smaller as she rode toward the fort.  He remembered Bianca's brother, Lord Nico, fighting alongside him in a battle a few weeks prior.  As if summoned from his memories, Nico walked out of a nearby wood toward him, followed by Lord William.

"These two look like they have a strange tale to tell, my king," Reyna said as she saw them approach.

"Good day, King Zeus," Nico said.

"Thalia just took your sister to the castle medic," Jason said to him.

"Thank you, Jason," Nico replied, shaking Jason's hand, "but that's not what I came here to tell you."

"Where were you just now?" Zeus asked Nico.

"William and I were just near where our border meets the Titans' base.  We saw Perseus's victory against Luke with our own eyes," Nico said, then looked at William, expecting him to continue.

"Then we encountered the titan Prometheus," William said, "and he offered us a treaty with his army."

"Did you accept?" Reyna asked.

"That's why we're here," Nico said, "we thought Zeus should be with us to negotiate."

"And I will be with you when you do," Zeus said, "but now, you need to tell Perseus that he is now praetor of the legion with Reyna in place of the other traitor, Octavian."

Nico looked taken aback at what Zeus had said.  For a long time, the legions had been run without his input.  He looked over at Reyna, who gave him a look that told him that it was wise to make Perseus the praetor.  "As you wish, my king," Nico said.  Then he and William bowed and set off to find Perseus.

 

* * *

 

_ All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter! _

 

Caryn reluctantly trod through the thick grass of the meadow.  It was unfair, she thought, that her sister Caelie got to run around gracefully as a cat, and her other sister Cato got to fly in the skies as an eagle, while she was stuck hopping around as a toad.  Not even the poisonous variety, just a normal, ugly toad.  Why couldn't they just all shift into the same animal, since they looked nearly identical as humans?  As much as she loved her mother, Hecate, sometimes she cruelly played favorites in gifting her children magic.  "Sisters!" A voice called from further into the field.  Caryn knew it was her sister, Caelie, since the voice was an exact copy of her own.

"It's about time Caelie," an identical voice replied, her other sister, Cato, "where were you?"

"I was hungry, and I saw a naval captain's wife eating chestnuts, so I asked her if I could have some.  She must've known that I was working for Hecate and Kronos, so she pushed me out of her house and called me a witch."

"Why were you talking to the enemy in the first place?" Caryn said, walking up to her sisters.

"Anyways," Caelie continued, deliberately ignoring Caryn's question, "her husband commands one of the most successful naval units in Exemplar.  Tomorrow, I'll sneak aboard his ship and kill him.  Then I'll instill thoughts of chaos into the crew, so eventually they'll all kill each other, which leads to an easier victory for Kronos!"

Caryn and Cato looked at each other and rolled their eyes.  Caelie often was easily distracted and only seemed to help their cause out of spite.

"Why didn't you just make yourself some food," Cato said, "since you're the one with creation magic."

Caelie gave her sister a dumbfounded look.  "It's more fun to ask things of other people and then raise hell if they don't give them to you, but sure, I could've just done that.  In fact, I'll do it right now."  She extended her hand to reveal a small pile of chestnuts.

Cato hated it when Caelie gave cynical answers to her cynical questions, and Caryn could tell, because grass started crumbling to dust around her feet.  In a way, the sisters were evenly matched in their magic ablities.  Caelie was a master of creating things with magic, and Cato was a master of destroying things with magic.  Caryn herself preferred to not create or destroy, but alter already existing things with her magic.

Caryn heard the sound of armor clanking in the distance, and gestured to her sisters to hide themselves.  Caelie and Caryn shifted into their animal forms and hid in the field's tall grass, while Cato shifted into her animal form and flew over the two men, listening to their conversation as they walked along.

"That was an excellent battle back there, Grover," one of the men walking in the field said.

His companion, Grover, nodded in agreement, his thick curls bobbing up and down as he did so, and said, "I can't help but agree with you, Percy."

"I'm almost 30 years old, Grover," Percy said, "could you maybe call me Perseus for a change?"

"Nope," Grover reached behind Percy's head to ruffle his nearly shoulder length black hair, "no matter what happens, you'll always just be my best friend Percy."

Percy smiled at his friend.  "That's good to know."

"How's Annabeth been lately?" Grover asked, "I know she's Exemplar's main strategist now and all."

"She's taking quite well to her new job.  And we've both been doing well to cope with the loss of Marina and Belle."

"That's good to hear.  It's sad how they both died when they were still very small."

"When they passed, it had felt like the day before I held them in my arms when they were born."  Percy took off his helmet and started to sob a little into Grover's armored shoulder.  "Anyways, how's Juniper doing with Chuck?"

"She's been doing great with him."  Grover walked with a bit more spirit due to the change in subject.  He then stopped and looked around at the field they were in.  "How far did you say it was to the castle?"

"Only about a few miles more," Percy replied, "although I admit that I have never been in this area before."  

"Yeah, this place seems off to me," Grover said, "are black cats like that one"--he pointed to Caelie--"even supposed to be in flowered meadows?  And it's been watching us ever since we got to this particular spot."

"Now that you mention it," Percy said, looking up at the sky, "This eagle has also been soaring over us.  And I think I also saw a toad somewhere in the grass."

"Odd that all these animals are here in one place without trying to eat each other."

"Perhaps," Percy said, then put a hand over his mouth to muffle his words, "they're disguised gods on Kronos's side."

Grover nodded at his friend understandingly, and they both instinctively put their hands on top of their sword pommels.

Overhead, Cato cawed to signal her sisters to shift back into human form, and they did, appearing in front of Perseus and Grover in a cloud of green mist, wearing hooded cloaks to avoid the possibility of either recognizing them.

"Who are you?" Percy said, "What do you want with us?"

"All hail Lord Perseus, son of Poseidon!" one of the sisters said.

"All hail Lord Perseus, praetor of the legion!" another echoed after her.

"All hail Lord Perseus, who shall be king hereafter!" the third sister said, her statement echoing across the field.

Percy was taken aback by what these mysterious figures had said.  Not only did they know who he was, but they also made predictions about his future.  He knew that he was one of the top picks for the new praetor after Octavian's betrayal.  But the one about him becoming king was truly far-fetched.  If something truly catastrophic happened to Zeus, surely Thalia or Jason would take over, not him.  But there were rumors of Thalia leaving Exemplar altogether to become one of Artemis's hunters, and Jason often expressed interest in traveling the world and building shrines to the minor gods in pagan villages once the war was over.

Grover seemed to notice that Percy was in shock so he tried to reassure him, saying, "Percy, why do you look so pale?  It's wonderful that you might become the new praetor.  Unless..." Grover finally began to understand why Percy was in shock. "something terrible is going to happen to Zeus soon?"

"No, no, it's impossible that he'd get assassinated by one of Kronos's agents," Percy said, trying to clear his head, "he's heavily guarded in the castle, and besides, he still has some godly ability."

Grover turned to the witches, "Who are you?  Why have you come to us bearing these messages?"  Suddenly the witches focused their attention on Grover.

"Hail!" they shouted simultaneously.  Grover looked even more in shock than Percy was, and decided to sheath his sword.

"You, who are lesser than Perseus, yet much greater," Caelie said.

"You, who are not as happy as Perseus, yet much happier," Caryn said.

"You, who will father many great kings, yet never be a king yourself," Cato said.

Then all three sisters became surrounded by purple smoke, and chanted, "All hail Perseus and Grover!" before disappearing.

"Is it bad that I wanted them to tell me more things about the future?" Percy said to Grover.

"No, it's not," Grover said, "these witches were probably children of Hecate."

"I didn't recognize any of them," Percy said, then realized, "they were wearing cloaks."

"They said fantastic things about us," Grover remarked.

"Your descendants will be kings."

"You'll be a king yourself."

"And praetor.  That's what they said, isn't it?"

"Yeah, they said that."

Grover paused, then heard footsteps walking toward them and said, "Someone's coming toward us."

"Better not be more children of Hecate," Percy said cynically.

Percy was correct, as Lord Nico and Lord William came strolling through the meadow, both smiling, seemingly unaware of what just occurred not far from them.

Nico spotted Percy, walked over to him, and shook his hand, and said, "Zeus was very happy hearing about your success.  I don't think he's been this happy since he was still immortal."

Then William came up to Percy and, being more open to personal contact, gave him a hug and said, "He sent us here to give you his thanks and bring you to him.  But your real reward won't come from us."

"Yes," Nico said, "Zeus has decided to name you the new praetor.  Of course, he doesn't usually get involved in these things, but everyone agrees that you'd be great for it."

Grover and Percy stared at Nico and William in total awe, then Grover whispered, "As they say, oracles are never wrong."

"What was that?" William said.

"Nothing you two should concern yourselves with," Percy replied, "anyways, isn't the other praetor still alive somewhere?"

"Yes he is," William said, "but since we've gotten word from Prometheus that Luke has committed suicide after his you know, failure in battle; we think it's very likely that Octavian will chicken out of being a traitor, and run back to Exemplar.  And when he does, he'll be sentenced to death."

Percy found himself being glad instead of shocked that the witches' predictions have so far come true.  If his formal title was now Praetor Perseus, it was only a matter of time before it would change again, to King Perseus.  Annabeth had to hear about this great news.  He decided to write to her as soon as he got back to his base.

"Thank you for the promotion then," Percy said to Nico and William.  Grover started tapping Percy on the shoulder, assumedly about something important.  "Excuse us, will you?"

"Of course, Percy," Nico said.

Percy turned to his friend, "This is fantastic, Grover!  I bet you're already dreaming of Chuck becoming a king out there somewhere."

Grover shook his head, "Percy, this whole thing is starting to become suspicious.  Those witches were undeniably Hecate's children.  What if they're on Kronos's side, and were employed by their mother to give us misleading truths in order to cause chaos and dissent among Exemplar's ranks?"

Percy thought about what Grover said.  He had a point about oracles never being wrong, but occasionally misleading.  He remembered reading a tale about Oedipus Rex when he was younger, and how him attempting to run away from his destiny caused him to crash into it face first.  So he decided to not do anything to avoid becoming king.  Then his thoughts turned sinister.  I should kill Zeus myself.  Percy was shaken from this sudden idea.  Although he was just fine with killing those who endangered those he loved, the idea of killing Zeus just, for lack of a better word, disgusted him.  Yet he soon found himself briefly considering the idea.  Then Percy realized, these thoughts couldn't possibly be his own.  He looked at his feet and saw that same toad he saw earlier sitting by his feet, with a dark black shape he assumed was the cat lying in the grass not far off.

And then he felt Grover tapping on his shoulder again.  "Percy," he said, "you dazed off a little bit."  And that's when Percy decided that he'd let whatever would occur come one way or another.

"Sorry about that," Percy said, turning toward Nico and William, "just not used to being praetor, I guess."

"That's understandable, Percy," Nico said.

"May the gods be with both of you," Percy said as he began walking with Grover to their temporary base camp.

"Wonder what Percy was shaken up about," William said.

"It was probably nothing," Nico said.

 

* * *

 

_ Stars, hide your fires; _

_ Let not light see my black and deep desires. _

 

"Jason, is there news of Octavian's death?" Zeus said.

"I spoke to someone who saw it happen," Jason said, "and he said that Octavian ran back into the castle and implored your forgiveness.  The guards took him to the executioner, and that's all he knew."  Jason paused to look out one of the base's windows at the sunset.  "The man also said he didn't even struggle against the guards, as if he was unaware that he was going to die."

"It could have been anything else, Jason," Zeus said, "there's no way to read a man's mind by studying his face.  I trusted Octavian with my temples here, and still he betrayed me."

Suddenly the doors opened, and Will, Nico, Percy, and Grover entered the base.  Jason and his father exchanged individual hellos with all of them, and then Zeus turned to Percy and said, "I can never thank you enough for leading the charge against Kronos.  I'm sure you did your father proud."

Percy smiled at Zeus and replied, "I was only doing what I ought to do to, sir."

"You're humble as always, Perseus," Zeus said, then turned to Grover, "and you, Grover, deserve no less praise by being at his side."

"Thank you, my king," Grover said.

Then Zeus addressed every demigod in the room and said, "I am overjoyed by all of your victories, and I am also happy to announce that since my eldest, Thalia, has decided to fight alongside Artemis; that I have decided to name my son, Jason, the leader for a new expedition to  gather more allies."

Percy couldn't believe what Zeus had just said.  Thalia was really becoming a huntress!  That had to mean Jason was the new heir of Exemplar, and the only people in line after him were Nico and himself.  He looked over at Zeus, who was in the middle of a conversation with Grover.  Suddenly Zeus waved goodbye to Grover and waved Percy over.

"Percy, I wanted to talk with you about this privately," Zeus said, "I'm going to announce this to everyone else soon, but you will be hosting the summer solstice ball this year.  I wanted to tell you ahead of time so you can get everything ready."  Percy couldn't believe what Zeus had just said.  Here was his chance to become king, if he was willing to take it.

"Thank you, my liege," Percy said, bowing his head in a gesture of respect, "I'll send Annabeth your regards when I return to my home."

 

* * *

 

_ Look like th' innocent flower, _

_ But be the serpent under 't. _

 

"Dearest Annabeth,

As I was heading to the main battle camp after my recent victory, something very strange happened to me.  Three witches, whom I presumed to be children of Hecate, allied with Kronos, appeared before Grover and myself, and delivered several prophecies.  I wanted to find out their identities, or at the very least request clarification of what they said, but they vanished.  Soon after, Nico and William came to me with a message from the king, that I was to be the legion's new praetor in place of Octavian.  This was one of the prophecies the witches gave me, before saying I'd be king.  I know from experience that oracles are never wrong, so I'm sure this will come true.  I'm telling you this so we can celebrate it together, as partners in greatness, and rejoice over good news for a change.  Don't tell anyone about what's to come.  I'm worried about our friends losing trust in us.

Always Your Seaweed Brain,

Perseus, son of Poseidon"

 

Annabeth set down the letter from Percy that had been delivered that morning.  Even though the things described in it were promising, she worried whether or not Percy could seize them himself.  Sometimes, she thought he was too passive, even though he was intelligent and a great warrior.  He wanted power, and so did Annabeth, but loyalty was Percy's fatal flaw.  Zeus was a god, once, and it was obvious Percy would be worried about losing the trust of his friends.  But Annabeth understood.  Trust is temporary.  Power is forever.

A servant walked into her study, interrupting her thoughts.  "Is there any more news?" she asked.

"Yes, my lady," the servant said, "the king has decided that we should be the hosts for the Summer Solstice Ball this year."

"Why has he chosen us?"

"I don't know, my lady."

"And why are we even having the ball in the first place?  Doesn't Zeus know that we are in the middle of a war?"

"I'm sure he hasn't forgotten," the servant said, turning to leave the study, "but I think he just wants everyone to be happy in these troubling times."

"Wait," Annabeth said, gesturing for the servant to stay, "when will Perseus be returning?"

"He should be here any minute now, actually," the servant said, "he Iris messaged the guards earlier."

"Surprised that still works," Annabeth said to herself as the servant left.  It was a wonder that Iris, being loyal to the gods, managed to escape Kronos's radar and remain immortal.  Most of the other gods, including Annabeth's mother Athena, had died in battle after being turned mortal.  Now Zeus will die here, in your own home, near the sea he rejected for his domain.

Annabeth nearly fell out of her chair.  It felt as though something unnatural was nearby influencing her thoughts, but she decided to embrace them.  Besides, how else would Percy become king?

While tuning out the part of her telling her to ignore those thoughts, that they were playing toward her pride, that pride was her fatal flaw and they were fatal for a reason, Annabeth turned her thoughts to inviting whatever spirits were near closer to her.  She stood up and ran toward her bookcase, where she reached toward one of the shelves and pulled up a small old book encased in cracked leather.  She flipped to a random page, which read "A Spell for Demonic Ambition" in Ancient Greek.  As Annabeth recited the words on the page, she looked out the study window toward the ocean, where she saw three cloaked figures in the distance.

Soon as Annabeth finished her recitation, the yellow lantern light that illuminated the study turned dark red, and she heard the sound of wind wooshing through the room.  The wind circled around her, undoing her hair from the usual loose braid she kept it in, and limiting her access to the room's air.  Then the wind surged into her open mouth and flew out as soon as it came in.  Suddenly, Annabeth collapsed on her knees onto the wooden floor of the study, and all returned to normal.  Even the hooded figures in the sea had disappeared.

Then Annabeth heard footsteps in the distance, and got up from her kneeling position on the floor, returned the spell book to its position on the shelf, and sat down in her chair, pretending to look over her strategic map.  Percy would know where he could find her.

And then Percy walked into Annabeth's study and mussed her still loose hair.  Annabeth lost her pretend focus and turned toward her husband, giving him a quick peck on the lips to welcome him home.

"Zeus is coming here tonight for the solstice ball," Percy said after a moment.

"I know," Annabeth replied, "the servant told me when he said you'd be coming.  When is he planning to leave?"

"Tomorrow, after the festivities are over," Percy said, then paused a moment and said, "He'll be staying the night."

"In that case, he won't be leaving anytime soon," Annabeth said.  After Percy gave her a puzzled look, she continued, "Your face is too obvious.  The other guests will know you're planning something.  If this is going to work, you have to appear the way they'd expect you to, like a lord hosting his guests for a party, giving them hospitality.  Don't look so troubled, either."

She turned to go to the kitchens to tell the cooks to prepare food for the guests, when Percy grabbed her arm and said, "We should talk more about this later, in private."

 

* * *

 

_ Fair and noble hostess, _

_ We are your guest tonight. _

 

"I do rather like the home Perseus and Annabeth have made for themselves here," Zeus said to Grover as he walked into Percy and Annabeth's house, followed by several other guests.

"Me too," Grover replied, "I especially like the breezes that come in from the sea.  No matter if it's cold or hot, the salty smell of the air always puts me at ease."

"I suppose the birds agree with you," Zeus said, gesturing towards one of the birds' nests on one of the window ledges outside.

"They must be pleasant to wake up to in the morning," Grover commented.

"Oh, trust me, they are," Annabeth said, as she walked toward the small crowd of guests.

"Lady Annabeth," Zeus said, "thank you for graciously hosting us tonight."

"Please, my king," Annabeth said, going into a curtsy, "it is I who should be thanking you.  Perseus is greatly honored that you have decided to make him the new praetor.  He hasn't been this happy in a long time, not since our little girls."

"Speaking of which," Zeus said, "where is Perseus?"

"He's busy with remaining preparations," Annabeth said, "anyways, everything here is at your disposal, because you are our guest, my king."

"Thank you, Lady Annabeth," Zeus said, "but I want to speak to Perseus.  Just tell me where he is."

 

* * *

 

_ If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well _

_ It were done quickly. _

 

Percy idled around in the kitchens of his house, watching the hired servants cook elaborate looking meals and desserts for the guests.  He couldn't stop thinking about what they would do that night.  Hopefully, the whole affair would go quickly, and the repercussions would be minimal.  Percy really didn't need all of Exemplar siding against him.  But he couldn't help feeling worried about it.  What if some of the younger demigods heard about the murder, and thought it was a good idea to attempt to kill gods?  Many of his friends had children of their own, and he was sure most of them would end up being as powerful as their parents.  What they do for their kingdom could affect everyone in it.

But then Percy was reminded of where he was, in his kitchens, overseeing the preparation of a party he was chosen to host by Zeus.  The man whom he would soon murder.  There had to be some unwritten code about murdering your party guests, as when some kings did it in the old legends, they were punished by the gods.  Of course, that was when the gods were still gods, not mortal and, like his father Poseidon, dead.  Zeus was one of the few surviving gods after most of them were massacred in the bloody first battle in the war against Kronos, and he wasn't a bad king, even if he did barge in out of nowhere and make himself king.  There'd probably be a huge fancy funeral for him after he died.

Percy heard the sound of loud footsteps, turning around to see Annabeth walking over to him.  She did not look happy.  "Zeus already finished dinner," she said, "why did you leave the dining room?"

"Did he ask to see me?" Percy asked.

"Of course he did," Annabeth replied.

"I've decided that we can't go through with our plan," he said, nervously dragging a hand through his hair, "it's too risky.  If we do this wrong, the whole of Exemplar will turn against us, and Kronos might take the upper hand."

Annabeth looked like she was about to grab the nearest cutlery knife and kill Zeus herself.  Then she took a deep breath, and said, more composed, "I am well aware of the potential worst case scenarios, Percy.  But you seemed so hopeful this morning.  I always knew you weren't very assertive when it comes to getting what you want."

"Annabeth," Percy said, "I just want to do the proper thing for a man to do."

"Well," Annabeth said, sizing him up coldly, "if you weren't a man when you agreed to this, what were you?  When you agreed to this, you were a man, and if you go through with our plan, you'll be even more of a man.  Besides, you swore on the River Styx that you would do this.  If I swore on the River Styx to kill my child as I was nursing it, I'd do it."

Percy considered what she said for a moment.  There have been legends of Hades punishing those who broke their oaths on the Styx.  And that was definitely a possibility, since Hades had decided it best to remain in the Underworld and avoid the same fate the other gods, including his wife Persephone, had suffered.  "But what if our plan fails and we're ratted out?  You remember what happened to Octavian after he committed treason, right?" Percy said.

Annabeth was silent for a brief moment, then took a deep breath and whispered, "We won't fail if we have enough courage.  Here's what we'll do.  I'll make sure the pretty waitresses offer the guards potent drinks often throughout the evening.  They should be good and blackout drunk by the time Zeus goes to bed.  When they're tired and passed out on the floor, then we'll grab the guards' daggers, go to Zeus's room, get it over with, and return the daggers with Zeus's blood on them to the guards."

Percy nodded at Annabeth.  She was the daughter of Athena, the chief strategist of Exemplar.  Her plan had to be foolproof.

"And we'll make sure to grieve passionately for Zeus," Annabeth continued, "so absolutely no one suspects us."

Percy had made his decision.  He was going to murder Zeus.  He looked at Annabeth and winked at her, then smoothed his clothes, pinched his cheeks to make them look less pale, and went out to greet his guests.


	2. Act 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy goes through with the murder plan, and no one suspects anything. At least, not this time.

_ Is this a dagger which I see before me, _

_ The handle toward my hand? _

 

"What's it like out there, Chuck?" Grover said to the young boy below him as he prepared his horse for their departure from Percy's house.

The young boy hopped onto the back of the saddle and said, "A bit dark, Father, but we should manage."

Grover handed Chuck his sheathed sword and grabbed the reins of the horse.  Then he saw torchlight coming from the other side of the field outside the house, and lowered his arms.

"Who are you?" Grover shouted to the light.  "Only a friend," the torch's carrier, who turned out to be Percy, said.

Grover turned toward Percy on the saddle and said, "Why aren't you asleep yet?  Zeus is already in bed, no doubt tired out from the Solstice festivities.  He was in an unusually good mood.  Oh--" Grover held up his finger to show he had just remembered something, "--he told me to give this to Annabeth."  Percy took the small object, which turned out to be a pendant made of some sort of precious stone, it was hard to tell which in the dark, that had lightning bolts carved into the front.

"I'll be sure to put it on a chain for her," Percy said, "but I'm sure the party could've been a lot grander if we would've known about it sooner."

"I thought it was spectacular," Grover said, then added as an afterthought, "and it's glad to see that at least part of what the witches told you was true."

Percy inhaled sharply, he hadn't expected Grover to bring up their recent encounter with the witches, at least not like this.  Was there some was he found out about the secret plan?  They had been friends since their youth, and were very good at reading each other's emotions.  "I haven't thought much about them recently, if I'm gonna be honest," Percy said, regaining his composure, "but if you want to talk about that experience sometime, I'm all ears."

"That sounds great," Grover said, holding his horse's reins up toward his chest.

"I'll reckon you'd ought to be leaving for home about now," Percy said.

"Yes," Grover replied, "I'll see you sometime soon."

Grover snapped the reins and his horse surged forward.  In the distance, Percy could've sworn he heard Chuck ask Grover who the three witches were.  He smiled as he imagined Grover answering his son, saying something like, "I might tell you when you're older."  But then Percy's thoughts turned sour.

There appeared to be a levitating dagger in front of him, the handle of which was pointing towards him.  He reached toward it, but it seemed to float away from him.  Then he took out the dagger from his belt and compared it to the floating one in front of him.  They appeared exactly the same, exactly as real, down to the scratches on the blade from continued use.  Percy knew one of the witches must've been around the field somewhere, creating the illusion, but it was hard to see where in the dark, even with the lit torch.  Then the floating dagger changed its appearance, now it appeared to have spots of blood on its blade and handle.  He looked at the dagger in his hand, which remained unchanged.

Then Percy realized that while he was wondering about the illusion in front of him, Zeus was still asleep in one of the guest rooms.  He turned away from the floating dagger, taking one last look before he left, and walked back towards his home.

 

* * *

 

_ Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood _

_ Clean from my hand? _

 

Percy had no trouble finding Zeus's room, judging by the guards passed out from, most likely, alcohol poisoning on the floor.  He did feel a little bit of pity for them, as they were his servants in the castle, and thus had known them a long time.  But still, he was relieved that Annabeth made good on her word.

This murder was very carefully planned out, considering there was mere hours between the agreement to kill Zeus and the time he arrived.  Annabeth had managed to get her hands on Octavian's potion files for "strategizing purposes", and stumbled upon a serum that gave a blade the power to kill supernatural beings (including the gods turned mortal) with one stab to the heart.  It also promised to not awaken the victim in pain if they were sleeping.

Upon reading the recipe, Percy and Annabeth realized exactly how most of the gods were killed so quickly.  Most of them were found in their supposedly secret hiding places when they died.  "I didn't even consider this," Annabeth said in amazement, "if no one ends up believing that the guards did it, the next suspect in line would logically be Kronos."  They did exactly as the recipe said, submerging the daggers of the drunk guards during the sunset, and now it had a slight green luster to it, as if it knew that its purpose was to end the life of yet another god.

Percy opened the door to Zeus's room, and saw the bed in the corner, a lump figure under the sheets.  He knew the creaky spots in this room well, so he avoided all of them and ended up at Zeus's side.  Thankfully he was sound asleep on his back, for easier access to his heart.  Percy placed two fingers to the man's chest and moved them around until he found a soft heartbeat in a certain spot.  Memorizing that spot, Percy raised the dagger, and quickly and forcefully stabbed Zeus.

He didn't stir once the blade entered his body, but a huge gushing of blood erupted from the spot where he was stabbed.  Percy took a step back to avoid the instance of any blood getting on his clothing, and once the blood had slowed to a trickle, he leaned forward and grabbed the bloodstained dagger.  Some of Zeus's blood got on his hand, and once he left the room and saw it in the light, he was shocked to find it was red, he almost expected golden ichor to be on his hands and the blade.  It made sense, the gods weren't gods anymore, so they didn't need ichor to sustain them.

Percy replaced the blade with one of the guards', smeared his blood stained hands on the front of his tunic for good measure, then ran toward his quarters.

Meanwhile, Annabeth sat atop hers and Percy's bed, swirling a glass of wine in her hand, imagining it were Zeus's blood.  Earlier, she'd taken a peek at him sleeping in his room, and almost felt the urge to kill him herself, but then she was reminded of a scene from long ago.  She imagined herself as she was three decades ago, a small child growing up in a heavily insulated castle far to the north, the daughter of a great king's heir, more concerned with a different pantheon of gods.

She remembered her cousin Magnus helping her with the supplies for a gift.  "Uncle Frederick is going to love this," Magnus said, admiring their handiwork.  "I think so too, Maggie," Annabeth replied.  Back then, they were quiet and stealthy deep into the night for a very different reason.  It was Annabeth's father's birthday, and she knew there would be an elaborate gift giving ceremony for him later in the day, but she wanted to make him something herself.  It was a small tapestry, amateur work compared to what the best embroiderers in the kingdom could do, but she was proud of it nonetheless.

She remembered herself sneaking into her father's quarters, her gift in hand, and seeing him sleeping soundly.  Annabeth waited until he woke up, and presented her gift with a smile.

"My, my, Annabeth," Frederick said, "did you make this all by yourself, for me?"

"Yes I did, Papa," she replied.

"It's beautiful," he said then paused a moment before whispering, "I rarely get tapestries of me and my daughter together."

Then, much later, she remembered being by her father's side, as he passed away.  "I thought you should have this back," he said, in a shaky voice, handing her the same tapestry.  Annabeth remembers that was the last time she cried.

In the present day, the sight of Zeus, sleeping soundly as her father once did, reminded her of both those memories, so she decided to go back into her quarters and drink some of the wine the guards had left over.

She heard footsteps in the hallway, and panicked for a moment, worried that their cover would be blown, until she saw Percy open the door.  "Percy!" she exclaimed.

"I did it," Percy said, "did you hear anyone?"

"Nothing but owls and crickets for a couple of hours," Annabeth replied.

"Who's in the room next to Zeus's?" Percy asked, looking down at his blood covered hands.

"Jason and Thalia," Annabeth said.

"I heard the guards talk in their sleep a little bit," Percy said, looking at the door anxiously.

"Don't worry about that too much," Annabeth said, putting a hand on her husband's shoulder.

"I could've sworn I heard a voice say, 'The son of Poseidon shall sleep no more.'"

"Don't dwell on that too much, you'll become mentally exhausted.  Go wash the blood off your hands."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of knocking in the distance.  Percy jumped at the suddenness of it, and said, "Why am I suddenly afraid of the sound of knocking in my own house?"

"Percy."  Annabeth's voice became much more stern.  "Wash your hands, and put on your nightgown, so if someone comes in, they'll think we were sleeping."

"You're right," Percy sighed, his body becoming exhausted after a long time away from home, "It's best if we just forget this ever happened."

 

* * *

 

_ There's daggers in men's smiles. The near in blood, _

_ The nearer bloody. _

 

Leo was starting to get the idea that he might've had too much to drink.  But the waiters were so charming, and he could always count on Percy and Annabeth to serve good liquor.  It was part of their agreement, he'd get to attend their parties if he operated the door system he'd designed for them.  Normally this worked out well, but not today.  Leo was so drunk that he didn't notice that someone had been knocking at the door insistently for several minutes.

"What if I had to open to open the doors to the Underworld when I die, eh?" he slurred at the door.

Knock, knock.  "In Hades's name, who is it?"

Knock, knock.  "A farmer who hung himself because Kronos scythed all his crops, perhaps."

Knock, knock.  "Or maybe it's someone who lied under oath.  Hades won't be happy with that."

Knock, knock.  "Come one, come all, to the Underworld, you must be this tall to ride."

KNOCK, KNOCK.  "This knocking is too loud for it to be the Underworld.  I better let them in before they break my perfectly good door."

Leo pulled some ropes off to his side, and the door lifted upward to reveal Lord Frank and Praetor Reyna.  "Frank, Reyna, you're here just in time for the party."

"Leo," Frank said, "the party ended hours ago.  We're just here to meet with Perseus and Zeus."

"Do you know what drinking as much alcohol as I do does to you, Frank, my friend?" Leo said, drool coming out of the corner of his mouth.

Frank groaned, but chose to humor his drunk friend, "I don't know, what?"

"It turns your nose red, puts you to sleep, and makes you piss your pants."

Reyna and Frank both gasped at Leo's lewd statement, but he continued, "And lastly, but certainly not the least frustrating, it stimulates desire but inhibits performance.  It gets you up, but you can't get off.  Believe me, I tried tonight."

"Leo, you've had too much to drink," Frank said, starting to walk inside the house, "let's get you some water."

"I puked earlier," Leo said, leaning onto Frank, "so I should be fine."

"I bet all of our knocking woke Percy up," Frank said, shrugging Leo off his side.  Leo didn't seem to care about this, because he collapsed onto the floor a moment later.  Then Percy walked toward the three people in the hallway, yawning in his nightgown.

"Good morning, Praetor Reyna.  Good morning, Frank.  Why is Leo on the floor?"

"I think he's starting to like it down there," Reyna said, pointing toward Leo, who had started to doze off on the stone floor.

"Is Zeus awake yet?" Frank asked.

"I doubt so," Percy said, "It's not even sunrise for another hour."

"I know, but he asked me to shift into a canary and sing him awake early in the morning.  I'm actually late now."

"It's no problem.  I'll bring you to his room."

Percy led Frank further down the hallway to Zeus's room, where they saw the guard with blood smeared on him.

"Why does one of the guards have blood on his tunic?" Frank asked, gesturing toward the guard in question.

"I'm not sure," Percy said, "I'll look into it later in the day."

"I'm going to wake up Zeus now."  Frank started to turn into a small canary, then flew into Zeus's room after Percy cracked the door open for him.

Then he walked back toward Reyna, who asked, "Is Zeus leaving today?"

"Yeah, he is," Percy said.

"Oh, I just heard strange noises all throughout the night tonight.  I've never heard anything like it."

Then Frank flew past them in canary form, and shifted back to a human, with a look of pure shock on his face.  "Oh, the unholy terror!" he exclaimed.

"What's wrong, Frank?" Percy and Reyna said simultaneously.

"It's as if a sacred temple has been desecrated!"

Percy and Reyna looked at each other, both clearly confused by Frank's statement.  They knew that he certainly cared about respecting the gods, but he spoke as if something much worse had gone on.

Then Reyna had an idea and said, "Did something happen to Zeus?"

"Go in his room and see it for yourself," Frank said.

Reyna walked into Zeus's room, Percy trailing behind her.  Frank then turned into an elephant and started to wake up the people sleeping in the rooms nearby.  Annabeth emerged from her room, her normally braided hair falling haphazardly across her face.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking at Frank.

Frank shifted back into a human and told her, "You don't want to know.  We don't want to give you more reasons to stress out."

Then Grover arrived, looking for Percy.  Then he saw Frank and said, "What happened while I was taking Chuck home?"

"Zeus has been murdered!" Frank exclaimed.

"How terrible," Annabeth said, "and in our own house, too."

"Annabeth, my dear," Grover said, embracing Annabeth, who had started to sob, "I'm sure I would feel the same way if it had happened at my house."

Then Nico appeared from the opposite end of the hallway and started to go into Zeus's room, saying, "I'm going to see if he's really dead.  He could just be unconscious."

He went into Zeus's room, then exited it a minute later, followed by Reyna and Percy.  "Bad news," Nico said, a somber look on his face, "he's really dead."

"Even though Zeus and I didn't always get along," Percy said, looking at the floor, "it was still a great honor to fight by his side in battle."

Then Jason and Thalia came out of their room, yawning, obviously awoken by all the noise outside.  "What's wrong?" Thalia asked, stretching out her arms.

Percy moved closer to Thalia and Jason, and put a hand on both of their shoulders, saying, "I know your relationship with Zeus hasn't always been perfect."

"Why are you reminding us of that, Percy?" Jason said, confused by Percy's affectionate behavior.

"Because I had to go through what you guys are about to, and it sucks," Percy said.

"Zeus has been murdered," Frank said, giving Thalia and Jason hugs.

"What?" Jason said, moving back from Percy and Frank.

"Who would do something like that?" Thalia said, still confused by the situation.

Reyna walked over to Thalia and began to run her hands through Thalia's hair, saying, "It was most likely one of the guards who committed the actual murder, since we saw blood smeared on his tunic and on his dagger.  But Nico inspected the blade, and he found that it had been covered in a serum of Titanish origin.  So, what most likely happened is that Kronos took control of that man, gave him a weapon to make the deed easier to do, and made him kill Zeus."

"That's why I decided that man would be better off in an asylum," Percy said, "to get rid of Kronos's influence on his mind."

Then Jason and Thalia started to whisper to each other.  "Why aren't we saying anything about this?" Jason asked, "We do have the most say in this."

"I know, Jason," Thalia replied, "but I don't think we should stay here.  Kronos could come back and decide to give us the same treatment."

"And we also shouldn't do anything about the murder," Jason said, "since it's happened too recently."

"We should discuss this later in the day," Grover said, interrupting various conversations between the people in the hallway, "when we're all properly dressed."

"I agree with Grover," Frank said.

"Let's all get some more sleep," Percy said, "and meet over breakfast."

Everyone nodded in agreement and went into their respective rooms, except Jason and Thalia, who continued their conversation in privacy.

"Thalia," Jason said, "what are you going to do?  We shouldn't stay here, in case one of them is lying about the circumstances of the murder.  I'm going to seek refuge in Annabeth's former kingdom.  Kronos can't touch me there, because the Norse gods protect them from our problems."

"I'm going to find the Hunters," Thalia said, "they're extremely hard to find, even for Titans.  It's safest if we go to different places.  Remember, even the gentlest dogs have sharp teeth."

"We should leave now," Jason said, "good-bye, Thalia."

"Good-bye, Jason," Thalia replied.

 

* * *

 

_ By th' clock 'tis day, _

_ And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp. _

 

Nico sat in the dining hall of Percy's house, eating the small breakfast one of the servants had given him.  He was dwelling on the strange events of the previous night.  As he passed by the horse Zeus arrived on in the stables, it started to struggle against the confines of the stable, like it wanted to get out.

He snapped out of his daze when he saw Frank walking towards him with his own breakfast.  "How are you doing?" Nico asked him.

Frank had dark circles under his eyes, like he hadn't gotten much sleep over the night, "It's obvious isn't it?"

Wow, Frank's in a bad mood.  Today really is unnatural.  Nico thought as the man in front of him picked at his eggs.

"It's certainly possible that the servants could have been influenced by Kronos," Frank said, "but we should consider alternatives if that's not the case.  Thalia and Jason were nowhere in the house this morning.  It's very possible they could've done it.  Thalia was very close to one of the traitors, and who knows if she still was before he committed suicide.  She could've gotten the recipe for the serum that was on the blade from him."

Nico shook his head.  He knew Jason, he'd never want to kill Zeus, no matter how badly they argued.  And he'd surely stop Thalia from killing Zeus also.  "Everything about this murder case is abnormal," he sighed, "but at least it's been decided who'll rule in Zeus's place."

"Percy's the next most powerful demigod in line," Frank said, "after him, only you and my wife are eligible."

"How is Hazel, by the way?" Nico asked, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Last I heard, she's doing very well with the new baby," Frank replied, smiling.

"Are you going to Percy's coronation ceremony?" Nico said.

"No," Frank said, "I'm going home to see Hazel and the baby."

"Okay, William and I are going to the coronation," Nico said.

"Hopefully nothing else goes wrong," Frank said, getting up from the table.

"Good-bye, Frank," Nico said, "say hello to Hazel for me."

"I will," Frank said, waving at Nico, "good-bye."


	3. Act 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Annabeth decides to lay low and focus on the war against Kronos, Percy's only concern is solidifying his reign as king, no matter the personal cost.

_ Banquo, thy soul's flight, _

_ If it find heaven, must find it out tonight. _

 

Grocer paced the hall of Exemplar's main fort.  He was no longer sure of what to think of Percy, even though they had been friends for a long time.  Everything the witches promised Percy had already been given to him, and Grover was beginning to suspect that it wasn't just due to coincidence.  But then Grover realized something.  The witches had never prophesied that the crown of Exemplar would go to Percy's children.  They said it would go to Grover's descendants.  Perhaps what the witches said about Grover would come true too.

Suddenly, a trumpet sounded, signalling that the private crowning was over, and Grover went back into his seat for the ceremony.  A procession walked into the room, at the front was Percy and Annabeth, with large crowns on their heads.  The one that was on Percy he remembered, it was the one he had so often seen Zeus wearing, but Annabeth's he didn't immediately recognize.  Then he saw peacock feathers decorating the front and realized that it must've been intended for Hera to wear.  Hera was one of the first gods found dead, mere days after Exemplar was founded.  That was only a few years ago, but it seemed much longer.

After the rest of the procession, consisting of Praetor Reyna, Nico, and other lords and ladies, arrived, Percy stepped up to the front of the small elevated platform and said, "We would like to thank my dear friend Lord Grover."

"It would be a great shame if we forgot our friend in this celebration," Annabeth added.

"Tonight there will be a ceremonial banquet, and we would like you to be our guest of honor," Percy said, his attention entirely on Grover.

"As you wish, Your Highness," Grover said, grimacing at the title he had to call Percy.

Then Percy ushered him up onto the platform, in order for them to talk to each other without the rest of the room hearing.

"Are you going on your horse this afternoon?" Percy asked.

"Yes I am," Grover said, gesturing to Chuck sitting in his seat, "I have to teach my son to ride somehow."

"That's too bad," Percy said, "we would have liked hearing you speak at the council."

"I should be back here by dinnertime," Grover said, in an attempt to reassure his friend.

"Don't miss our feast," Percy said, his tone becoming more serious.

"I won't," Grover said.

"I've heard that Thalia and Jason, the prime suspects of Zeus's murder, still haven't made a confession.  Their hosts keep on giving us strange excuses as to why not."  Grover looked at Percy strangely, why would he accuse Jason and Thalia of murdering Zeus?  This wasn't like him.  Percy continued, "But never mind that, we can discuss it more tomorrow.  You and Chuck should get going."

"Good-bye, Percy," Grover said, walking down the steps of the platform towards Chuck.

"Farewell, Grover," Percy said, before clearing his throat to regain his audience's attention, "Our ceremonial feast shall be at seven sharp tonight," he said, before dismissing them.

"I'm going to the study to prepare plans for our next attack," Annabeth said, before walking out of the room.

Percy was so lost in his own thoughts, that he thought she was planning another sabotage, not an attack against Kronos.  He had put the war in its entirety out of his mind for a few days.

Lately, he'd been thinking about Grover.  He had asked the witches for his future, and they told him his descendants would be kings.  Why hadn't they promised that Percy's children would be kings?  Why hadn't they even predicted that Percy would have more children?  He was heartbroken when Marina and Belle passed away, but Grover still had a son.  Percy had never resented him for that, but now he found himself doing it.

Before guests were even trickling into the dining hall for the ceremonial feast. he had called in two assassins and met with them in a private meeting area.

"I know that you two are the best in the business," Percy said to them, "and I know that you are also good at keeping secrets."

"What do you want with us, anyhow?" the first assassin said, stretching out his fingers.

"I'm sure you both know Lord Grover," Percy said.

"Yeah, I do," the second assassin said, "used to work for the guy, too.  Very strict about how he wanted his garden kept."

"Well," Percy said, "every day he is alive, my soul is restless.  I fear he could cause my undoing if he wanted to.  I can't let that happen."

"What do you want us to do?" the first assassin asked, leaning forward in his chair.

"I'll tell you where to go within the next hour," Percy said, "but make sure that you also kill Grover's son, Chuck."

The two assassins nodded and left the room.  Percy suddenly felt grateful that he'd already said his last goodbye to Grover.

 

* * *

 

_ 'Tis safer to be that which we destroy _

_ Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy. _

 

Annabeth was marking up a large map of Exemplar and the surrounding area, when a servant came into the study.

"Did Grover leave yet?" Annabeth asked her.

"Yes," the servant replied, "but he should be back tonight."

"Go get Perseus," Annabeth said to the servant, "I want to talk to him about something."

The servant nodded, gave a small curtsy, and left the room.  Annabeth was starting to become worried about Percy.  He was king now, shouldn't he be happy about that?  He'd also seemed disinterested when she talked about her battle plans with him.  Normally he'd be very engaged with her, asking her questions and giving suggestions.  Now, he mostly chose to sulk around the fort, not even talking to his friends.  Some of them had even asked Annabeth if Percy was ill.

Then Percy walked in, and Annabeth cut to the chase and said, "What's wrong?  You've been keeping to yourself and sulking a lot lately, and I want to know why."

"I'm worried," Percy said.

"Worried about what?" Annabeth asked, her voice getting slightly louder, "What could we possibly have to worry about now that we're king and queen?"

"I'm worried that we haven't gotten rid of all the threats to us and our power," Percy said, "and I've been thinking of ways to fix that problem."

"Problem?" Annabeth said, "There is no one plotting against us.  The only way that could possibly happen is if you keep on avoiding people the way you have lately.  Some have asked me if you are ill.  Their questions will only get closer and closer to the truth if you go on like this."

"I'll try to lighten up," Percy sighed, "and you should too."

"I've been absorbed in my work for days now, and you don't seem to care," Annabeth said.

"Remember to give Grover your special attention when he gets back," Percy said, ignoring what Annabeth had just said, "we have to hide our true feelings from him."

True feelings?  Annabeth was more confused than ever.  They had been friends with Grover for a very long time, why would Percy suddenly want to change that?  "Stop talking like this," Annabeth said, "focus on being a good host for the feast."

"The witches have poisoned my mind," Percy said, "Grover and Chuck still live."

"No matter how much we hope, they can't live forever," Annabeth said, even more confused by what Percy was saying.  Perhaps he truly was ill.

"That's comforting," Percy said, after exhaling a long breath, "something terrible must happen before night falls tonight."

Annabeth suddenly figured why Percy was acting this way.  He was planning something behind her back, but what it was, she couldn't be sure of.  "What are you going to do?" Annabeth asked, in an attempt to get answers.

"It's better you don't know," Percy said.

Now, Annabeth was angry.  Percy  _ was _ hiding things from her!  If their recent sabotage of Zeus was enough to make Percy try to hide things from her, how long would it be before their victory falls apart at the seams?

"No good can come from bad," Percy said, seemingly to himself.  Then he walked out of the study, Annabeth following her, attempting to regain her composure.

 

* * *

 

_ He needs not our mistrust, since he delivers _

_ Our offices and what we have to do _

_ To the direction just. _

 

The two assassins were hiding behind a tree in the woods outside Exemplar's main fort.  They had been waiting there for nearly half an hour, but there was still no sign of Grover and Chuck.  Suddenly, the crunch of another man's footsteps was heard from the assassin's hiding spot.  They both drew their weapons, but it turned out to be a man in similar regalia that they were in.

"Who sent you here?" one of the assassins asked.

"Perseus did," the new arrival said, "he ordered me to leave after Grover and Chuck.  They should be passing by soon."

"I think we should trust this guy," the other assassin said, "he was also given orders to kill Lord Grover."

"I can hear horses," the first assassin said, and all three men made an effort to conceal themselves behind the large tree.

"Chuck, it's getting dark out here," a voice said, "can you light a torch?"

"It's Grover," one of the assassins said, it became too dark to tell the three men apart from each other.

A light went up in the distance, no doubt the torch that Grover told his son to light.  The three men drew their weapons almost simultaneously.  "I think it might rain soon," Grover said, "we should get back to Percy's."

_ Now _ , one of the men mouthed, and they revealed themselves to attack Grover and Chuck.  Two of the men caught Grover easily, but the third man only held Chuck for seconds before he escaped from his grasp.  "Run, Chuck, run!" Grover managed to yell before the three men started attacking.  They managed to give him a good beating for a few minutes, one of the men stabbing him in the chest, another making large cuts on his arms and legs, and the third slashing across his face so that his body would be unrecognizable.  Soon, Grover managed to bleed a fatal amount, and went still in the men's arms.

"The kid got away," one of the assassins said after a short silence.

"Perseus is paying us no matter what, anyways," another commented.

The two men started to walk back toward the fort, leaving the body behind, but the third man looked at it for a second longer, thinking,  _ I'd sure hate to be the guy who gets haunted by his ghost _ .

 

* * *

 

_ It will have blood, they say. Blood will have blood. _

 

"Welcome to the ceremonial feast, everyone," Percy said, at the head of the large dining table.

Everyone looked to find their places, and sat down in their respective seats, waiting for the servants to give out the meals.  Percy walked around the table, greeting everyone who came.  Annabeth sat in her chair, looking over more strategy notes.

Suddenly, the three assassins walked into the dining hall, waiting by the door.  Percy excused himself from a conversation with William and went to ask what they wanted.

"There's blood on your face," he said to one of the men.

"It's probably Lord Grover's," the man replied.

"Did you kill him?" Percy asked.

"Yes, we did," the man said, "we all made him bleed until he could bleed no more."

"Did you do the same to Chuck?"

"No, Chuck got away before we could kill him," the man said.

"That's no so bad," Percy said, "he's still a child."

He gave the three men a sack of drachmas, and they walked out of the dining hall discussing how to split it up.  He was going to go back to talking to Will when Annabeth stopped him at her table.

"You should really be talking to your guests right now," she said.

"I had important business to attend to," Percy said.

"And your friends suddenly aren't important to you?" Annabeth said, "If you don't greet them properly, they'll feel unwelcome."

Percy sighed and made his way to his seat at the table.  He grabbed his glass of wine and held it out toward the rest of the table.  "I would like to propose a toast," he said, gaining the attention of the guests, "to good health."

Everyone toasted and drank from their wine glasses, then resumed their conversations.  Reyna, who was seated next to him, asked, "Why don't you have a seat, Percy?  You seem anxious."

"As I should be, Reyna," Percy said, "Grover's still not here, and I'm starting to worry that something might have happened to him.  He would never be late for one of mine or Annabeth's celebrations."

"He probably got caught in the rain," Nico said, next to Reyna, "so you should stop worrying so much and sit down with us."

"Okay, I will."  Percy turned toward his seat, and saw that something was already there.  It looked like Grover, but he had gashed all over his face and body, and a large open wound in his chest, which was bleeding all over his clothes.  Percy dropped his wine glass in shock.

"What's wrong, Percy?" Reyna asked.

"I didn't do it, I swear!" Percy said, addressing the ghost in the chair, but everyone in the room heard it.

"I think Percy's falling ill," Nico said, breaking the short silence.

"No he's fine," Annabeth said, trying to calm everyone down, "he's been like this for as long as I've known him.  Give us some privacy please."

The guests complied, moving to the other side of the room and continuing their conversations there.  "What's wrong?" Annabeth asked.

"He's in my chair!" Percy said.

"Who's in your chair?"

"The man I arranged to die tonight."

"Who?  Who is it?"

"Look for yourself."

Annabeth looked over at Percy's chair, and she didn't see anything there.

"You're hallucinating," Annabeth said, "it's just like the knife that pointed toward Zeus."

"No!" Percy said, raising his voice, "He's right over there."

"You are acting like a fool," Annabeth said, "and in front of your guests, no less!"

"He was right there!"

"Bullshit."

"Perhaps Hades has become careless since the war started, and he's not noticing when souls come back to our world to haunt our world."

"I think we've left our friends waiting too long."

Percy called everyone back to their seats, and after many asking how he was, he kept on repeating, "I'm fine, really, I am."

He had a servant bring him a new glass of wine and said, "Let's drink to our friend, Grover.  We all miss him very much, and wish he were here tonight."  Everyone had a sip of wine, then put their glasses down and waited for the servants to bring in their meals.

Percy looked back at his chair and saw the ghost sitting in it again.  "Go away," he said to the ghost, but everyone in the room heard him, "you're supposed to be dead."

Annabeth once again tried to calm everyone down, saying, "This is only a bad habit.  Pay it no attention, your dinners are almost here."

Then the ghost vanished, and Percy said, "It's gone."

"And a good thing, too," Annabeth said, "you're making a spectacle of yourself and ruining our celebrations."

"I cannot help but be astonished at these things," Percy said, facing the guests, "but you all look upon these horrors with a straight face."

"What horrors, Percy?" Nico asked.

"Shouldn't you know, son of Hades?" Percy said.

"I think Percy and I should leave," Annabeth said, "you all can enjoy the meal we have arranged, and leave after you finish."

"I hope Percy feels better soon," Reyna said.

Annabeth and Percy walked to the room where they were staying, and Percy said, "The dead will always have their revenge."

"It's getting late," Annabeth said, "I don't know why the dinner was prepared so late."

"Don't you wonder why Frank didn't show up to the ceremony?" Percy asked.

"It's probably because he has his new baby to take care of," Annabeth said, turning around to change into her nightclothes.

"Or it could be because he's conspiring against us," Percy said.

Annabeth turned around.  "What?" she said.

"I've employed spies to report to me from each of the demigods' houses," Percy continued, "and I'm going to see the witches tomorrow morning."

Annabeth sighed.  "Okay," she said, "but you shouldn't hide things from me."


End file.
